The Falls Church Anglican, also called The Falls Church, an Episcopal Congregation, has employed at least two people who betrayed the trust of the children in their care and engaged in sexual exploitation and abuse. Last week, a prominent Northern Virginia church, The Falls Church Anglican, released the findings of its investigation into a former director of youth ministries who sexually abused children for more than a decade while serving as the church’s youth director and subsequently as director of adult discipleship.
If you are a survivor of sexual abuse at The Falls Church Anglican, a clergy abuse lawyer in Baltimore can help you by collecting evidence and even confronting your abuser(s) so you do not have to do so. Seeking legal assistance may be your first step to attaining justice for yourself and for anyone in The Falls Church who might have also survived childhood sexual abuse by adults within The Falls Church Anglican system.
What Happened at The Falls Church Anglican?
Jeffrey Taylor and Jeffrey Nielsen were both employed by The Falls Church Anglican, located at 115 East Fairfax Street in Falls Church, Virginia. Taylor and Nielsen allegedly used their positions in the church’s youth ministry, Cornerstone, to gain access to vulnerable young people that they could exploit and sexually abuse.
Is The Falls Church Anglican Alone in Dealing With Sexual Abuse?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Countless churches—Anglican, Catholic, and otherwise—across the country have been dealing with similar crises. However, these situations all have several factors in common:
- The sexual abuser acted within an environment in which they were not punished for their actions.
- When churches were informed of the sexual abuse against children, they ignored survivor testimony and focused on protecting the abuser and themselves from the just consequences of the allegations. In many cases, churches sent abusers to other churches where they were able to continue sexually abusing other children.
- Survivors of church abuse have had to find their own ways of getting justice, including via civil claims and lawsuits because reporting abuse within the church institution rarely produced the desired results.
- Sexual abuse by adults associated with the church is a devastating and pervasive crime. All churches, including The Falls Church Anglican, must do far more to stop the crisis before anyone else gets hurt.
For a free legal consultation, call,
(888) 585-2188
What You Can Do As A Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse at The Falls Church Anglican
If you or someone you love are a survivor of sex abuse at The Falls Church Anglican, you have certain rights as a survivor of abuse. These include the following:
Hire a Childhood Sexual Abuse Attorney Experienced In Sex Abuse Cases
This is one of the best things you can do for yourself if you have suffered and endured the nightmare of childhood sexual abuse. Many abuse survivors find it daunting to have to meet their abuser face to face, even in a safe legal setting. Some may even forgo taking legal action just to avoid ever seeing their abuser’s face again.
However, you don’t need to worry. An experienced sex abuse lawyer at Jenner Law who has handled childhood sexual abuse cases for other survivors can protect your rights each step of the way through your case.
Investigating Abuse at The Falls Church Anglican
Before you take on your abuser and the church that has so long supported them, you want to have the strongest case file possible. An abuse attorney can help you exercise your right to collect all of the evidence you need to build your case, including:
- Communications between you and the abuser (e.g., text messages, voicemails)
- Medical records that describe the injuries, physical and emotional, you suffered because of the abuse
- Witness accounts of your interactions with the abuser(s) or the effects that the abuse has had on your life
Seeking Financial Compensation for the Sexual Abuse You Endured
Not only does pursuing financial compensation enable you to recover money that you are entitled to, but it also ensures that the people and institutions that hurt you suffer the consequences and pay the penalties under the law for the harm they have done.
Fighting for Both Compensation and Justice After Childhood Sex Abuse
While this may be a complex and emotional process, you do not have to face it alone. Your lawyer can:
- Inform you of all the things that may happen during your abuse case so that you are prepared, no matter what
- Negotiate for the right amount of compensation on your behalf
- Speak for you in the courtroom if your case goes to trial (most cases settle out of court, but do not discount the possibility of your case ending up in court)
- Lend a sympathetic ear whenever you tell us about what happened to you and suggest resources that may be able to help you heal
- Keep everything you say in the strictest confidence
- Help you parse Code of Virginia § 8.01-243(D), Virginia’s statute of limitations for sex abuse crimes.
What Damages Can You Recover in a Childhood Sexual Abuse Case?
While your abuser(s) and those who protected them can never fully compensate you for childhood sexual abuse, you could compel them to pay you damages through legal action.
Some of the types of damages you could recover include:
The Bodily Harm Caused by Childhood Sexual Abuse
Your sexual abuse lawyer can demand that your abusers pay for any bodily harm, such as
- Physical pain stemming from the sexual abuse
- Damages to your mental and emotional health
- Other obstacles or troubles you encountered in life that you can be attributed to the childhood sexual abuse you endured
- Permanent scarring, illnesses, or disabling conditions that were caused by childhood sexual abuse-related injuries
The Financial Cost of Sexual Abuse
There has also been a monetary cost associated with your abuse. This includes:
- Money you have spent (or will have to spend) on medical treatments, including psychiatric care and medications
- Wages you could not earn when the effects of the abuse caused you to miss work
- Jobs that you could not keep or qualify for due to the effects of the abuse
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Hold the Abusers at The Falls Church Anglican Accountable
No one should ever go through childhood sexual abuse, and you deserve compensation from those who allowed the abuse at The Falls Church Anglican to go unchecked. If you are a survivor of such abuse, call Jenner Law for a free case review today. Along with attorneys licensed to practice in Virginia, we can help you figure out how to handle your case and pursue the justice you deserve.
Call or text (888) 585-2188 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form